Space, the Final Smuggling Frontier
In a glimpse of a gloriously rule-breaking future, contraband has boldly gone where more is sure to follow.
In a glimpse of a gloriously rule-breaking future, contraband has boldly gone where more is sure to follow.
If you’re looking for a coherent, compelling version of Stephen King’s pandemic opus, keep on walking.
His angry insistence that "I'm the President of the United States!" is reminiscent of Joffrey's famous similar statement: "I am the King!"
A good teens-and-creatures movie, and a deep dive into a glorious fake cult
Sadly, he's far from the only one. If we want to "break the wheel" of poverty and housing shortages, we need to roll back zoning.
The Nebula Award winner is set in a near-future where public gatherings have been radically limited by a global pandemic and threats of violence.
Friday A/V Club: When the post-apocalyptic world looks a lot like the pre-apocalyptic world
Amazon Prime Video's latest feature is a smartly made indie sci-fi film from an incredibly promising first-time director.
Transcending consciousness is presented as a consumer good in a sharp new Amazon Prime series.
This occasionally competent sci-fi action film is best enjoyed from the comfort of a couch.
HBO's adaptation of Philip Roth's novel is much more interesting when viewed on its own merits.
A new anthology explores how the counterculture of the '60s and '70s mixed with the mainstream.
"A good science fiction story can help re-sensitize us" to the peril and promise of the new.
Isabel Fall is canceled. It's the science fiction world's loss.
In Borderlands 3, you take on a murderous cult worshiping a cruel, vain deity who demands that her minions attack others, sacrifice themselves, and constantly sing her praises.
The final film in the Disney-era trilogy is a pointless, abysmal letdown that won't fully satisfy anyone.
A range of libertarian-world approaches to the impending trial of Donald Trump
Friday A/V Club: Ridley Scott wasn't the only director who filmed a Blade Runner in the Reagan years.
Friday A/V Club: That time NBC broadcast a radical Philip K. Dick fable to a 1950s audience
It took the TSA multiple weeks to complete its review and conclude that Coke bottles are not a tool of terrorism.
An economist and a science fiction author discuss cryogenics, mythology, philanthropy, fragmentation, and simulation.
"It could create concern that it’s the real thing," officials say.
Plus: Farewell to the author whose work inspired Ross Ulbricht to create Silk Road, Trump's toy tax gets delayed until Christmas, and more....
In Comic-Cons, as in great nations, there's room for plenty more to live the dream.
When Tucker Carlson and Elizabeth Warren agree on trade, regulation, and social media, it's time to rethink a few things.
In his new book, Fall, the author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and The Diamond Age, looks to the digital afterlife, and beyond.
An impressive achievement that could have been even better. The series had its flaws, but did effectively convey the importance of institutional constraints on political power.
"Game of Thrones" highlights the dangers of pinning our hopes on supposedly admirable political leaders wielding vast, concentrated power. Sadly, modern Americans are almost as susceptible to that error as the misguided characters on the show.
Like Warren, I'm a fan of the Dragon Queen. But Warren overstates the character's virtues and minimizes her flaws - sometimes in ways that reveal shortcomings of Warren's own worldview.
Harvard Kennedy School Prof. Christopher Robichaud interviews me on this topic for his "This Week in Dystopia" podcast series.
The science fiction writer appealed to traditionalists with tales of far-flung futures.
The imminent start of the final season of Game of Thrones is a good time to consider the series' political message, and reprise some of my work on that subject. Plus, a discussion of the political economy portrayed in George R.R. Martin's recently published prequel to the series.
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
Marvel's first female-fronted superhero film is a woke superhero fantasy scared to take any risks.
A joyous, energetic Spider-Man remix shows what superhero movies can be.
mine is The Player of Games, by Iain Banks
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.